Rules:- U.S resident only between 13 and 18 years of age (as of the close of the contest);- 30 seconds to 2 minutes in length and in a standard video format (.wmv, .mov, .avi, .mp4);- your own creation, no copyrighted material;- include a brief description of the process you followed;- deadline for entries: Dec. 15.

Judging:(judging will be based on the following criteria; please see the official rules for more details)- creativity (50%);- consistency with the book (25%);- fit and finish (25%).

Awards:- the winner will receive a $1000 scholarship;- the winner will also have their trailer featured on the Random House website.

- Gianna Z. silicone bracelets and bookmarks for everyone in your book club;

- Gianna Z. discussion guide, a recipe for Nonna's famous funeral cookies, and the "What Kind of Tree Are You?" quiz;

- an author visit to your book club meeting! If you live nearby, Kate will visit via Skype videoconferencing software to tell you all the juicy stories behind the writing of Gianna Z. and answer questions.

Banned Books Week Q & A: E. Lockhart from Emily at BookKids: from the Crazy Folks at BookPeople. Peek: "I will say that in books where I don't need them for the language to remain true and emotional, I have often kept expletives out. I find creative alternatives for the usual slang." Read a Cynsations interview with E. Lockhart.

7-Imp’s 7 Kicks #133: Featuring Elizabeth O. Dulemba by Eisha and Jules from Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast. Peek: "I figured the embedded Spanish, light graphic-novel format (for reluctant readers to segue into graphic novels), and touch on bullying would be a pull (those I did on purpose), but I never considered the muddy-to-clean part. Duh!"

Publishing Darwinism - Where Are You On The Food Chain? from Babbles from Scott Eagan, the literary agent for Greyhaus Literary Agency, representing romance and women's fiction. Peek: "You have to be there mentally. Those successful writers have found ways to talk themselves over those barriers and to be ready to face the day when it is cloudy." Note: I don't know that children's-YA authors are expected to "dress for success" in the same way as romance/women's writers, but there's still a point here to consider. Source: Children's Book Biz News.

Interview with Mary Pearson from Writer Musings: A place to ponder books, as well as how the words get on the page. Peek: "Every book feels like a first, and really it is. Each character and their story requires a unique approach. So finding my way through a story is still an exciting, uncertain, and often bumpy process, just as it was with my first book." Read a Cynsations interview with Mary.

Do Unpubbed Authors Need a Bio? by Kate Fall at Author2Author: 5 Authors, 5 Journeys. Peek: "I have two bio paragraphs, one informal and in third person for social networking, and another, more formal one written in first person for queries..."

Brown Bookshelf Opens Submissions for 2010 28 Days Later Campaign from The Brown Bookshelf: United in Story. Peek: "The Brown Bookshelf (BBS), a website designed to push awareness of the myriad of African American voices writing for young readers, will open submissions for its third annual 28 Days Later Campaign on Sept. 28 with hopes for its deepest candidate pool yet. 'I go into each year thinking, who's left that we haven't highlighted--because the number of African Americans writing for children isn't huge,' says BBS member and author/illustrator, Don Tate. 'And then I’m happily baffled to see the submissions stream in with names of authors I'm unfamiliar with.'"

Photo Contest in celebration of the forthcoming release of Flash Burnout (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, October 2009) sponsored by author L.K. Madigan at Drenched in Words. Peek: "The winners of the photo contest will have their photos hosted on my website, plus receive $50 gift certificates to the online merchant of their choice." Deadline: midnight Oct. 19. See more information.

The Elephant in the Room: Databases by Marc Aronson at School Library Journal. Peek: "Our sole goal in creating, or purchasing, nonfiction is to 1) engage readers 2) present a point of view 3) challenge, stimulate, entrance readers. We are in the writing business, not the information business." Read a Cynsations interview with Marc.

Showing vs. Telling from Nathan Bransford--Literary Agent. Peek: "My interpretation is this. With the understanding that 'if it works it works,' and there are always exceptions, in general: universal emotions should not be 'told.' Instead, we should be shown how the character is reacting to their feelings." Note: think about exceptions when you hit your protagonist's epiphany. Read a Cynsations interview with Nathan.

Banned Books Week Q & A: K. L. Going from Emily at the BookKids Blog! from the crazy folks at BookPeople. Peek: "I have gotten e-mails from kids who have literally said they were at the point of suicide, like Troy is in the beginning of the novel, and that reading about a character like themselves made them rethink their decision. How dare people take that connection away from the kid who needs it!" Read a Cynsations interview with K.L.

Seven Ways to Write a Book Faster by Evan Marshall at The Cuckleburr Times. Peek: "When I’m writing a novel, I don’t allow myself to print out a hard copy until the first draft is completely finished. Printing out--for me, at least--leads to all kinds of distractions that slow writing down." Source: April Henry.

The Turning Point by Jo Whittemore at Jo's Journal. Peek: "...the turning point is not always a happy one, but it does allow us to see how your character has grown. Sometimes, it happens just before the final conflict, and sometimes it happens a wee bit earlier." Read a Cynsations interview with Jo.

Olu's Dream: an interview with author-illustrator Shane W. Evans from The Brown Bookshelf. Peek: "It is not about 'race,' and I want to make that distinction, as race is often a construct that divides us. It is about stories... Culture covers our world. So we look at two people from two distinct stories that come together and have a child."

List of YA Authors by State from YALSA's wiki. Peek: "This page will collect the names of YA authors and list them by state, for the purpose of helping librarians, library workers and educators to plan author visits and other such programs. If you know of a YA author who resides in your state (or if you are one!), please add the name of the author and his or her web site information below under the appropriate state." Source: Paula Chase Hyman.

Jumping Off Swings by Jo Knowles: an interview and reader discussion at the YA Authors Cafe. Peek: "Sometimes, you just have to wait for the stars to align exactly right. Seriously. There is a lot of luck involved in this crazy business. But there is also a lot of heart and bravery and believing in yourself and the characters you love." Read a Cynsations interview with Jo.

Agent Spotlight: Joe Monti from Literary Rambles: Being a blog of desultory thoughts on writing and life. Peek: "I'll be focusing on children's and young adult, or teen, literature as well as some adult genre fiction. I'm also interested in working with folks who are writer-artists of graphic works, from graphic novels to picture books. Specifically I love work that breaks new ground, a work that is subversive or enlightening by utilizing a different approach." Source: Children's Book Biz News.

Writing in the Zone by Brian Yansky at Brian's Blog: Writer Talk: Random thoughts on the art and craft of fiction writing. Peek: "...there’s that one very magical part to writing (like with Taekwondo); everything has to work together without the writer consciously forcing it to do so (of course when rewriting the writer will be very conscious about his choices). The writer has to find that unconscious place where he becomes the story." Read a Cynsations interview with Brian.

An Interview with Libba Bray by Gwenda Bond at Shaken & Stirred. Peeek: "...if you want to know the true meaning of silence, sit in a conference room with your publisher and editor when you cheerfully announce to them that the follow-up to your Victorian schoolgirl supernatural fantasy series is a funny mad cow disease road trip novel narrated by a profane sixteen-year-old boy. Good times, good times." Read a Cynsations interview with Libba.

Drains In Disguise by Kristi Holl at Writer's First Aid. Peek: "Taking care of the unfinished business that nags at your mind–and keeps you from feeling like you can settle down to write–may be necessary before you can tackle your writing assignment."

During the heat of my Blessed (Candlewick, 2011) deadline, I hosted a giveaway in which entrants were invited to ask me a question. Here's one example:

"How do you approach covering multicultural children's and young adult books on your blog?"

While this is a priority, it's not at all a personal challenge. My natural inclination to read books by and about a wide diversity of folks, and like-minded people make up a substantial portion of my audience.

What's more, because I've long (and loudly) supported a variety of voices and visions, I regularly receive a lovely range of titles to consider from authors, publishers, and publicists.

It's my way of making sure to feature such titles for all prospective readers who surf by while still highlighting them to those teachers, librarians, and child caregivers who may be thoughtfully building collections or seeking a particular curriculum tie-in. Or, for that matter, teens who want to read about someone like them in that way.

On Cynsations, the approach is fully integrated, especially for the news wrap-ups. But among many others, I do tend to read blogs like The Brown Bookshelf: United in Story, which which promotes African-American youth literature, and Mitali's Fire Escape, where author Mitali Perkins often discusses race and culture in children's-YA books. If I see a substantive post that draws attention to multicultural literature, I'll certainly share the link, which may provide a reason to include a book cover.

I keep an eye out for opportunities to make a difference. Feature. Highlight. Cheer!

Big "push" efforts and celebrations are important, but I'd like to encourage y'all to embrace a consistent, day-to-day approach as well.

Book Bag: Sink your teeth into these by Lani Stack from The Advocate Weekly Online. A full-article review recommending Tantalize (Candlewick, 2007, 2008) and Eternal (Candlewick, 2009). She writes: "Tantalize offers a substantial plot and a charismatic lead character. The first-person narration captures both the self-questioning angst and brash confidence of a headstrong teenager. Add devilish supporting characters and complex, clever and well-paced plot, and Tantalize is a darkly delicious read for older teens."

Giveaway Reminders

Enter to win a contributor-signed copy of Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd, edited by Holly Black and Cecil Castellucci (Little, Brown, 2009)! My short story, "The Wrath of Dawn," co-authored by Greg Leitich Smith, is included in the collection, and we are happy to sign and personalize the book, if the winner so desires. To enter this giveaway, email me (scroll and click envelope) with your name and snail/street mail address and type "Geektastic" in the subject line (Facebook, JacketFlap, and MySpace readers are welcome to just message me with the name in the header). Deadline: Sept. 30.

Enter to win one of four paperback copies of Not Like You by Deborah Davis (Graphia/Houghton Mifflin, 2009). One copy will be reserved for a teacher, librarian and/or university professor of children's-YA literature, and three will go to any Cynsations readers! To enter this giveaway, email me (scroll and click envelope) with your name and snail/street mail address and type "Not Like You" in the subject line (Facebook, JacketFlap, and MySpace readers are welcome to just message me with the name in the header). Deadline: Sept. 30. Reminder: teachers, librarians, and professors should ID themselves in their entries! Read an excerpt, listen to an excerpt, see discussion guide. Read a Cynsations interview with Deborah.

Enter to win Cromwell Dixon's Sky-Cycle by John Abbott Nez (Putnam, 2009). To enter this giveaway, email me (scroll and click envelope) with your name and snail/street mail address and type "Cromwell Dixon" in the subject line (Facebook, JacketFlap, and MySpace readers are welcome to just message me with the name in the header). Deadline: Sept. 30. Read a Cynsations interview with John.

Sale! February Only!

About

New York Times & Publishers Weekly best-selling, award-winning author the Tantalize series, the Feral series and other critically acclaimed fiction for young readers. She/her. MFA Faculty, Vermont College of Fine Arts. Board member, We Need Diverse Books. Ohonvyetv!

Intern

Intern

Robin Galbraith holds an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts.

Intern

Kate Pentecost holds an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. She is the YA author of Elysium Girls (Hyperion, winter 2020). Kate is represented by Sara Crowe of Pippin Properties.